Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care

It is Teepa’s mission to help families and professionals better understand how it feels to be living with dementia and related challenges. Teepa’s philosophy for living well with dementia focuses on the interpersonal dynamics of coping with a changing brain and is reflective of her diverse education, work experience, medical research, and first hand caregiving experiences. The Positive Approach® techniques and strategies she developed are delivered through 4 modes of comprehension.

Respond to a person’s change in cognition and abilities in a way that is not hurtful or offensive.

Understand that, with practice, common “reactions” to the person with dementia can become thoughtful “responses” that improve quality of life for everyone involved.

Recognize that the person with dementia is “doing the best they can” and if something isn’t working, it’s the responsibility of the Care Partner to change their approach toward the person living with dementia as well as to discover what can be done differently to address the challenging situation.

Be aware of environments surrounding a person with dementia and make changes as necessary.